My Gaming in Review - Top 11 Games of 2013 (#11-6)

The moment I'm sure you've all been waiting for. The exciting reveal of my absolute favorite games of 2013. Unlike my most Surprising, Disappointing, and Least Favorite games of the year, there was no way I could limit this list to just 3 entries. In fact, I couldn't even limit it to 10, because after reviewing my list I really felt like there were 11 games that stood out to me that I played in 2013. If you want to check out the full list of games eligible for this list, check out the spoiler below. And with that, we're off!

I had never played a Ratchet & Clank game before this year since I never owned a PS2 until very late in its lifecycle. Needless to say, the PS3 HD remakes have been a godsend for me to catch up on some great games that I missed. The first Ratchet and Clank adventure looks great in HD and the controls really hold up great for how old the game is. The multitude of planets to explore all have unique and engaging styles and the puzzles and gameplay were enjoyable throughout. A great experience and I can't wait to dig deeper into the series.

#10 - State of Decay (Xbox 360)

Despite not being the biggest fan of zombies, there was something about State of Decay that really drew me in. The randomly generated set of missions made for an enjoyable amount of variety and were always rewarding enough that I'd want to take them on. Using characters to strengthen them was a necessity and the fear of permanently losing one of your best characters always kept me on my toes. The light crafting and building portions of the game were enough to keep me wanting to level up but never got overbearing. It is an excellent addition to the great XBLA lineup.

#9 - Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS3)

Having taken more than a year off from the series after beating ACII, Brotherhood sucked me right back in to the point that enjoyed Brotherhood more than its predecessor. Particularly I enjoyed the new guild mechanics where you could send assassin's off to complete tasks. I'm always stunned at the sheer amount of content these Assassin's Creed games have, and I'm even more stunned how addictive some of the smaller side missions can be.

#8 - Sleeping Dogs (PS3)

Though I also played through GTAV this year, I can easily say that Sleeping Dogs was my favorite open-world game of 2013. The characters were likable, the story was compelling, the missions were fun, and the setting was laid out and presented with extreme care. I certainly hope we see another experience in the life of Wei Shen. One small aspect of the game that I must point out is the directional arrows that appeared on the streets telling you where to turn when you had a set waypoint. I'm not sure if these were first implemented here by Sleeping Dogs, but this is the first time I've ever experienced them. I must say that these should be an industry standard for all games of this type. Being able to keep my eyes on the road and off the minimap felt like a revolution for open world games.

#7 Velocity Ultra - (PS Vita)

A downloadable shooter/puzzler/racer that was once a PS Mini is one of my absolute favorite games of the year. FuturLab did an admirable job giving the game a gorgeous HD look, and the hybrid mix of different genres just works perfectly. It's hard to explain why Velocity Ultra is great, but it just is.

#6 - Dokuro (PS Vita)

Another downloadable Vita title, this one a puzzle platformer. Dokuro features an eclectic mix of challenging puzzles, strenuous platforming, and a handful of exciting boss battles. With over 150 levels, there's certainly enough content for any puzzle gaming fan. Though many of the levels require an escorting aspect, it is implemented as well as possible. If the precious princess falls down a pit or gets engulfed in flames, it's generally you're fault. That isn't true of a lot of games that require any sort of escort aspect.

Stay tuned for my top 5 games, coming up soon. I myself haven't decided which game will get top honors (I enjoyed the top two games both so much), but I will say there's 4 PS3 games (3 of which are PSN, and 1 of those I played on Vita) and 1 XBox 360 title in my top 5.

Man, everybody loves Sleeping Dogs. I really should bump up the priority on that one.

I'll be interested to see your take on AC games after Brotherhood. My guess is that you will be displeased, although Revelations at least wraps up Ezio's story. There is definitely a ridiculous amount of stuff to do in AC games, but I think in AC:R it starts getting to be waaaay too much. AC3 is completely overwhelming, but thankfully it's almost entirely optional (unless you're cuckoo for trophies!) - the plat on that I think took me as long as Final Fantasy XIII's plat, and that's saying something. There's almost an entire other game hiding in the homestead, it's weird that they put so much effort in to it.

Man, everybody loves Sleeping Dogs. I really should bump up the priority on that one.

I'll be interested to see your take on AC games after Brotherhood. My guess is that you will be displeased, although Revelations at least wraps up Ezio's story. There is definitely a ridiculous amount of stuff to do in AC games, but I think in AC:R it starts getting to be waaaay too much. AC3 is completely overwhelming, but thankfully it's almost entirely optional (unless you're cuckoo for trophies!) - the plat on that I think took me as long as Final Fantasy XIII's plat, and that's saying something. There's almost an entire other game hiding in the homestead, it's weird that they put so much effort in to it.

I will now stay tuned.

Brotherhood felt like it was starting to push it on the content. I haven't heard great things about Revelations or III, except from you on the later. I try and get all the single player trophies that I can in the AC games, but I'll never platinum any of them because I don't bother with the multiplayer.

Brotherhood felt like it was starting to push it on the content. I haven't heard great things about Revelations or III, except from you on the later. I try and get all the single player trophies that I can in the AC games, but I'll never platinum any of them because I don't bother with the multiplayer.

AC multiplayer in brotherhood is bliss. When it was active I could sit and play for hours. The maps were perfect, the premise was entertaining and simple enough to just jump in and figure it out (the sneakier the kill, the better the points (or sometimes the longer you stayed hidden, the better the points)), and there wasn't any overpowered or bullshit powers. I know you weren't implying, but I wouldn't bother getting in to it now.

And yeah, AC3 is awesome, the haters. Just don't get dragged down by the extra nonsense like the homestead or side missions in the wilderness and I imagine you'll enjoy it too.

And yeah, AC3 is awesome, the haters. Just don't get dragged down by the extra nonsense like the homestead or side missions in the wilderness and I imagine you'll enjoy it too.

I've tried twice and haven't been able to get into it yet, despite liking all the AC games prior. I will probably give it a third shot at some point, but I just did not enjoy the changes to the feel of the controls.

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